Basilica of San Francesco

Basilica and monastery seen from the valley

The Basilica of San Francesco with the entrances to the lower and upper churches

The upper church of San Francesco

The Basilica of San Francesco is a basilica in Assisi , Italy. It is the burial church of St. Francis of Assisi .

The basilica is decorated in the upper and lower church with important paintings of the Renaissance , including by Giotto di Bondone . It was severely damaged in an earthquake on September 26, 1997 and restored with enormous effort.

Historical overview

History of the burial place

The Basilica of San Francesco is located at the western end of the village of Assisi, directly on the slope of the Monte Subasio mountain range . This somewhat remote area was once the place where executions had taken place, popularly known as the Colle d'inferno ('Hell Hill'). Francis wanted to be buried here, in memory of Jesus , who also died at a place of execution ( Golgotha ) outside the city wall of Jerusalem.

St. Francis, who already in the October 3, 1226 Portiuncula had died, was first in the church of San Giorgio (at the site of today's Holy Sepulcher Santa Chiara for the holy Klara buried). In 1230 the lower church was finished to the point where the body of Francis from San Giorgio could be transferred to here. However, for fear of desecration of the graves and the trade in relics , the burial was kept secret and a hidden rock tomb was created under the crossing. Only during excavations in 1818 was it rediscovered, exposed and made accessible right under the altar of the lower church. Today this place is a much visited place of pilgrimage .

Building history

Tomb of St. Francis in the crypt

The construction of the basilica began in July 1228, the year of the canonization of Francis by Pope Gregory IX. who initiated the construction of the Holy Sepulcher and laid the foundation stone himself on July 17, 1228. The church complex of the Basilica San Francesco is designed as a double church, with the upper church Basilica Superiore and one floor below the lower church Basilica Inferiore . Whether the church with the upper and lower church was planned from the beginning, or whether it was built during a change of plan during construction or even in different construction phases, is still discussed in the literature. The neighboring monastery, called Sacro Convento , the motherhouse of all Franciscan monasteries, is inextricably linked with these churches .

The idea for this complex with lower and upper churches is traced back to Brother Elias of Assisi, who was initially Vicar General and from 1232 Minister General of the Franciscan Order. He was responsible for the construction management until 1239.

In the Basilica of San Francesco, the change in the architectural style from Romanesque to Gothic, which took place very differently from the second half of the 12th century to around the middle of the 13th century, is exemplified. The lower church is still built in the Romanesque style, while the upper church is already built in the Gothic style. It is considered to be the founding building of the architecture of the mendicant order (or mendicant order Gothic ) and is the first church specially built for this order. As a pilgrimage church with a special status within the order ( caput mater ), the construction type of San Francesco (two-story hall church with transept) was only very rarely taken up in the architecture of the mendicant order. The most important and best-known example is Santa Chiara in Assisi; already here without a lower church, only with a small burial place for St. Clare. However, the building type of the simple hall church subsequently spread almost across Europe as a medieval foundation building for numerous Franciscan convents. Like St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, it is located on the “wrong” outskirts and had to be vest so that the facade faces the city.

The lower church was probably built from 1227 onwards. Due to the hillside location, the construction probably required extensive earthworks, which had to be done before the foundation stone was laid. Pope Gregory IX then laid the foundation stone for the church on July 17, 1228, one day after the canonization of Francis. The news of an extensive completion in 1239 probably only related to the lower church. Information that the lower and upper church may already have been completed this year is doubtful because the architectural styles of the lower and upper church are very different and more likely indicate an interruption in construction, or at least a change in plan. The current form of the church hardly corresponds to a uniform plan, although this opinion was also held in the past.

According to a more recent idea, initially not a double church was planned, but only a simple church (the lower church) with a pointed roof and an open roof truss. That would mean that at first one would not have thought of an upper church sitting on it, which is understandable given this location on the mountain slope. If it had only been intended as a crypt, it would not have had to be the same size as the upper church. The vaulting is said to have taken place later and around 1300 the upper church is said to have been added, which was intended as a papal chapel. The builder was Pope Gregory IX. The idea that initially only a simple church was planned, however, contradicts the length of the slope, because the church would only have towered over the forecourt of the church with the roof. A representative west facade would hardly have been possible, unless the (lower) church had an unusual height.

Perhaps the upper church was not planned or stylistically redesigned until 1244, when the Sainte-Chapelle began in Paris , also a double church, which may have been the model for the complex in Assisi. The consecration of the Basilica San Francesco took place in 1253 for both particular churches together. However, 'consecration' does not mean that the structures were actually finished. “Consecration” simply means that the main altar was “consecrated” by a high ecclesiastical dignitary, if possible the Pope himself. In no case was the fresco program finished at that time.

The whole complex was redesigned and expanded in the 15th century (1472–1474) by Pope Sixtus IV , who emerged from the Franciscan order, but this mainly related to the monastery buildings. The basic concept for the church was retained. (The Renaissance vestibule is by Francesco da Pietrasanta, 1487.) And this basic concept consisted - at least according to another theory - from the beginning not only of the two parts of the church, but also of a comprehensive program of images that was fixed from the start. This can be seen above all from the fact that the staircases from the lower to the upper church did not affect or destroy a single fresco , which they would certainly have done if there had been no prior overall planning including the painting.

Lower church

Side entrance to the lower church

The lower church is entered through the side entrance in Gothic style (2nd half of the 13th century) through two wooden doors (Umbrian craftsmanship from the 16th century). Opposite you can see the vestibule of the chapel of Cardinal Egidio Albornoz , a papal legate (from 1350 to 1367). The chapel is dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria . The frescoes with eight episodes from the life of the saints were 1368-1369 by Andreas pictor de Bononia ( called Andrea - probably Andrea de 'Bartoli (1349-1369), the court artist of Albornoz - and not, as is usually wrongly assumed, Andrea da Bologna ) created. The saints in this chapel were painted by Pace di Bartolo d'Assisi (1344-1368).

The spandrels between the arches of the rosette in the portal tympanum are arched diamonds with foliage or leaf masks

On the left there is a small chapel dedicated to Saint Sebastian with paintings depicting scenes from the life of the Saint by G. Martelli. On the right are the tombs of Giovanni de 'Cerchi and those of John of Brienne , King of Jerusalem and Emperor of Constantinople .

The lower church consists of a main nave with a few side chapels. The nave is painted with the oldest frescoes by an unknown artist known as the “Master of St. Francis” ( Maestro di San Francesco ). They depict scenes from the Passion of Christ on the right and five scenes from the life of St. Francis. The low ceiling is painted blue with stars.

St. Martin turns away from life as a knight (fresco by Simone Martini)

The pictures on the lower walls have been destroyed, only the remains of Cimabue's Virgin with Child and Angels can be seen.

The first side chapel on the left is dedicated to St. Martin of Tours . It was built for Cardinal da Montefiore and was painted between 1317 and 1319 with ten frescoes by Simone Martini depicting scenes from the life of the saint. These are among the most important works by Martini and offer the best examples of painting from the 14th century.

The second side chapel on the left is dedicated to St. Consecrated to Peter of Alcantara .

The side chapels on the right are dedicated to the following saints:

• the St. Louis of Toulouse and St. Stephan I with frescoes by Dono Doni (1575) and colored glass by Simone Martini
• the St. Anthony of Padua with frescoes by Cesare Sermei (1610)
• the St. Mary Magdalene

The maesta is enthroned with angels and St. Francis (Fresco by Cimabue )

This chapel, built by Teobaldo Pontano (Bishop of Assisi from 1296 to 1329), contains paintings from the workshop of Giotto di Bondone (around 1320) ( incorrectly attributed to Puccio Capanna by Giorgio Vasari ). On the side walls are scenes from the life of St. Maria Magdalena is depicted (above the portrait of Teobaldo Pontano), there are also busts of Christ, the Virgin Mary , Maria Magdalena and Lazarus in front .

The frescoes in the right transept show the childhood of Jesus. Some of them come from Giotto di Bondone and his workshop, the Christmas scene was painted by the anonymous Maestro di San Nicola . Below three frescoes depict scenes in which St. Francis helps two children after his death. These frescoes by Giotto were revolutionary in his time, as they showed people with emotions in a realistic landscape.

Madonna dei Tramonti (by Pietro Lorenzetti )

On the wall of the transept, Cimabue painted his famous work The Virgin Mary with Angels and St. Francis on the throne . The image of Francis is considered to be one of the most authentic and original depictions of the saint.

On the right transept is also the Chapel of St. Nicholas of Myra , probably created by order of the papal legate Cardinal Napoleone Orsini . It is decorated with a fresco cycle of ten frescoes by the anonymous "Master of St. Nicholas Chapel" (between 1295 and 1305) depicting scenes from the life of the saint. These scenes influenced the fresco cycle in the upper church, the scenes from the life of St. Representing Francis. Vasari therefore wrongly attributed the frescoes to an artist Giottino . The same artist also painted the Annunciation above the entrance to the chapel.

The left transept was painted between 1315 and 1330 by the Sienese painter Pietro Lorenzetti and his workshop (Vasari also wrongly ascribed Giotto and Puccio Capanna ). These six frescoes with scenes from the story of the Passion of Christ form his masterpieces, especially the fresco of the Descent from the Cross is very emotional. For the first time since ancient times, shadow is shown here.

Papal altar with frescoes

The cycle was completed in 330 work steps, which took several years. Also in the adjoining chapel dedicated to St. Saint John the Baptist is a fresco by Pietro Lorenzetti depicting the Madonna dei Tramonti .

The papal altar in the apse was carved from a single rock from Como (1230). Around the altar there are Gothic- style arches with columns of different styles. The wooden choir stalls were made in 1471 by Apollonio Petrocchi from Ripatransone with the help of Tommaso di Antonio Fiorentino and Andrea da Montefalco . The walls of the apse are now decorated with the depiction of the Last Judgment by Cesare Sermei di Orvieto (1609–1668).

The paintings on the ceiling (1315–1320) show the triumph of St. Francis and three allegorical figures (the three Franciscan virtues): obedience , poverty and chastity by the so-called anonymous Maestro delle Vele , a pupil of Giotto (around 1330).

organ

Gaming table

The organ in the lower church was built in 1985 by the Mascioni Orgelbau company as Opus 1074. The instrument has 33 registers on three manuals and a pedal. The actions are electric. The instrument can be played from a mobile console.

I Positivo Cc 4 Principals 8th' violoncello 8th' Ottava 4 ′ Flauto aperto 4 ′ Flauto in XII 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Quintadecima 2 ′ Decimanona 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Vigesimaseconda 1' Voce umana 8th'

II Grand'Organo Cc 4 Principals 8th' Flauto 8th' Ottava 4 ′ Sesquialtera II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Quintadecima 2 ′ Ripieno IV 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Tromba 8th'

III Espressivo Cc 4 Bordone 8th' Viola da gamba 8th' Principalino 4 ′ Cornetto II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Flautino 2 ′ Cimbalo III 1' oboe 8th' tremolo

Pedals Cg 1 Subbasso 16 ′ Basso 08th' Bordone 08th' Ottava 04 ′ Flauto 04 ′ Quintadecima 02 ′ Contrafagotto 16 ′ Fagotto 08th' Chiarina 04 ′

Upper Church

The upper church of San Francesco is considered to be one of the most beautiful rooms in Italian art history. The style of the church is Gothic, but this style does not correspond to Northern European Gothic. The upper church is a richly colored, modest room, which does not show the extreme increase in height of the German or French Gothic, but is a unitary room with Gothic elements.

The mendicant orders prefer such church forms over the traditional division into central nave and side aisles. They also do without the chapel wreath in the choir. The reason for this is that there were only a few priests in the mendicant orders, so that the additional altars were not needed for the daily celebrations of the priests.

This room is architecturally too complex for a mendicant order, because the Franciscans' law of poverty forbade such elaborate vaulted buildings. The Franciscans clearly violated their own poverty law right from the start of their order development by allowing such a splendid interior space. This contradiction must be seen against the background of the poverty dispute . In the Franciscan theology of the early years, two factions had formed, the luxury and official church-critical spirituali on the one hand and the Rome- friendly Conventuali on the other. By Gregory IX. and the following popes appeared as initiators, sponsors and even as builders of S. Francesco, they brought the entire center of the order in the mother monastery of Assisi under their influence.

The fresco cycle of the upper church

Main nave of the upper church with frescoes by Giotto

The reason why this room plays such a role in Italian art history can be seen in the great cycle of frescoes by - probably - Giotto di Bondone , or Giotto for short, who lived from 1266 to 1337 and one of his earliest works was these frescoes of the legend of St. Francis painted from 1296.

There has been and is a long controversy in art history about the true attribution of these frescoes. Especially in parts of German research, Giotto's authorship of the Francis frescoes is relativized. For a long time, however, Italian art history was largely clear to Giotto. Giotto's role remains unprovable and can only be made probable through arguments critical of style. With such an extensive fresco program, several artists were inevitably involved - which makes the problem of "authorship" insoluble. "Giotto's authorship is essentially limited to the draft today."

In the upper church there are scenes from the life of St. Francis depicted according to the Legenda Maior des Bonaventure . The aim of this biography was to present Francis as an evangelist and apostle of the end times, to glorify his life as a lived gospel and to see him in a progressive likeness to Christ. Corresponding to this function of the frescoes to create a close relationship between Francis and Christ, the life-size pictures in the plinth area, which are dedicated to Francis, are related to corresponding scenes in the window area above, where in two further picture strips, one on top of the other, scenes from the Old Testament and others from the life of Jesus. The picture strips form a thematic unit. Francis and Christ are related to each other throughout the room, in fact equated. This corresponds to the interpretation that was desired in the official church of the time.

There are 14 fresco scenes on each side of the nave. 14 is the symbol number of St. Francis, as a doubling of the seven, the symbol number for Christ. The doubling of the seven to 14 as the symbol number of St. Francis thus points to his resemblance to Christ.

Ecstasy of Saint Francis (Fresco by Giotto di Bondone )

A second aspect is that the characters in these pictures are templates for creating a theater role. The new popular piety , which became powerful at the end of the 13th and then in the 14th century, loved mystery games ; people who were ignorant of reading understood images more easily than texts. Giotto knew how to decorate the room in successive acts of a mystery play so that people could identify with the model of Francis. So here on the inner walls of S. Francesco not only correspondences between the life of Francis of Assisi and the life of Jesus are emphasized, but also correspondences between the private life of every believer and the life of the saints are made possible and a connection to Christ himself across this bridge found. This is the personal approach to salvation, which in the 14th century experienced a new meaning.

A rose window can be seen above the entrance to the upper church, surrounding four figures. These are the symbols for the four evangelists (the winged man (not angel) is a symbol for the evangelist Matthew , the eagle is a symbol for the evangelist John , the lion is a symbol for the evangelist Mark , and the bull is a symbol for the evangelist Luke ).

Isaac has Esau back (Fresco the Giotto attributed or "Isaac Master")

In the single-nave room of the upper church, in addition to the frescoes by Giotto with scenes from the life of St. Francis, 32 stories from the Old and New Testament are executed by the Cimabue school and in the transept, in the crossing and in the apse Cimabue frescoes, which date back to 1277. Works by other masters such as those by Pietro Cavallini and Jacopo Torriti also date back to 1277. The images were by the earthquake severely damaged in 1997.

The stained glass windows in the upper church were made by German and French artists around 1250.

The choir contains choir stalls with 102 seats, carved and decorated by Domenico Indovini (1501). In the center of the choir is the elevated papal seat.

Next to the upper church is a bell tower , which was completed in 1239.

Number symbolism of the rosette

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

Rosette on the front of the upper church

On the basis of the two rosettes on the facade, one can point out the latent relationship between artistic form and number symbolism.

The so-called rose window is a well-known symbol of medieval architecture: its sun shape - with the webs as rays - refers to Christ. The aspect of the rose refers to Mary - in the Middle Ages the rose was the symbol of love and virginity; see the picture form “ Maria im Rosenhag ” etc. - and the round shape of the window alludes to medieval cosmology, in which the circle - as a geometric structure with only one single center - was considered the general image of the world. The center was of course God, or Christ, the radiating sun of the world.

With this church, however, there are also special explanatory notes: The lower, smaller rosette is divided into 12 fields, which of course creates a relationship to the 12 apostles, if one takes into account the image program on the inside.

The rosette contains a whole range of encrypted information or messages. It consists of four rings that are richly differentiated in themselves. Only the three inner rings can be seen from the interior. The outer one is faded onto the wall. Here there is again the comparison of the three as a heavenly number inside the church and the four as an earthly number on the exterior. Counting from the outside in, the individual rings each contain 44, 46, 14 and 12 elements.

1. In the outer ring, 44 smaller and larger circular shapes are connected by an endless belt. Francis of Assisi lived 1182–1226, that is 44 years - accordingly 44 circles are intertwined here by a life tie.
2. In the next ring, the 46 individual forms were originally clearly divided into two groups by different colors, i.e. 2 times 23. The second version of the rules of the order of St. Francis had 23 chapters.
3. In the third ring, 14 circles are lined up. The 14, the symbol number of Francis, already existed in the interior as a double seven, the symbol number of Christ.
4. 12 elements can be seen in the center of the rosette. Here not only the 12 apostles are addressed as with the lower rosette, but here again reference is made to the rule of the order, this time to the last and final version of 1223, which had 12 chapters.

Organ of the upper church

Gaming table

The organ of the upper church was built in 1982 by the organ building company Mascioni (op. 1053). The instrument has 44 registers (2,705 pipes) on three manual works and a pedal. The playing and stop actions are electric. The instrument can be controlled from a mobile console.

I Positivo Cc 4 Principals 8th' violoncello 8th' Ottava 4 ' Flauto aperto 4 ' Flauto in XII 2 2 ⁄ 3  ' Quintadecima 2 ' Decimanona 1 1 ⁄ 3  ' Vigesimaseconda 0 1' Voce umana 8th'

II Grand'Organo Cc 4 Principals 16 ' Principals 08th' Flauto 08th' Ottava 04 ' Flauto in VIII 04 ' Sesquialtera II 02 2 ⁄ 3  ' Quintadecima 02 ' Ripieno II 01 1 ⁄ 3  ' Ripieno IV 02 ⁄ 3 ' Tromba 08th' Cromorno 08th'

III Espressivo Cc 4 Corno camoscio 0 8th' Bordone 8th' Voce celeste 8th' Principalino 4 ' Flauto 4 ' Nazardo 2 2 ⁄ 3  ' Flauto in XV 2 ' Flauto in XVII 1 3 ⁄ 5  ' Harpsichord III 1' oboe 8th' tremolo Campane

Pedals Cg 1 Contrabbasso 16 ' Subbasso 16 ' Gran quinta 10 2 ⁄ 3  ' Basso 08th' Bordone 08th' Corno camoscio 0 08th' Ottava 04 ' Ripieno IV 02 2 ⁄ 3  ' Trombones 16 ' Tromba 08th' Trombina 04 ' Campane

Restoration history

The repeated restorations of the frescoes

When looking at the church from the upper town, it is easy to understand why the Giotto frescoes had to be restored several times. With the church in this position, rainwater flows towards the building on the mountain slope, over time soaks the foundation walls, then pulls up the walls and attacks the frescoes. In the meantime, an elaborate drainage system has been laid in the bottom of the mountain slope, which channels all of the rainwater around the church.

Giotto was a pupil of Cimabue and took over the strong graphic contours from him, which can also be seen here. This type of painting is advantageous for restoration because the black outlines can simply be drawn in without having to change the original in any important aspect. One theory says that Giotto only got the preliminary drawings and determined the colors. The painting was in the hands of the students.

In 1798 Carlo Fea tried to stop the increasing salt incrustation.

Because of the humidity, the tituli of the frescoes have also disappeared over time, the Latin inscriptions under the pictures that explained the content.

The earthquake of September 26, 1997

The earthquake on the night of September 26, 1997 in Umbria (5.7 on the Richter scale ) caused numerous houses to collapse in Assisi. The basilica was badly damaged. In another earthquake at noon on September 26th (magnitude 6.1), part of the vault collapsed. Coincidentally, a photographer in San Francesco was busy taking photos of the church so that the course of the earthquake in the church was documented. Two technicians and two monks who were busy repairing the quake that night were killed in the new quake.

The restoration work began just a few days later. The dust had settled and the fallen stones were sorted. Large tents were set up in front of the facade, in which the individual parts were returned to their original arrangement in the following years, as far as possible, before they were anchored again in the vault. After the earthquake, 1,276 tons of rubble were removed from the building and carefully sieved. A total of around 300,000 individual parts had to be brought back into their correct position - this was achieved with 120,000. The German Father Gerhard Ruf, who had lived in Assisi for many decades and died in 2008, said at the time that 60–70% of the frescoes could be restored.

The total cost of the restoration amounted to € 35 million (converted at the time). On November 28, 1999, the upper church was opened to the public again. At this point in time, not all reconstruction work had been completed. This has achieved the goal of at least making the upper church accessible again by the beginning of the Holy Year 2000 . The lower church, which was relatively little damaged, was able to reopen two months after the earthquake.

literature

• Gerd Althoff, Hans-Werner Goetz, Ernst Schubert: People in the shadow of the cathedral. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1998.
• Saskia Esser: The painting of the lower church of San Francesco in Assisi by the Franciscan Master. Bonn 1983.
• Engelbert Grau OFM: St. Francis of Assisi and the foundation of his order. In: Gabriele Atanassiu among others: Franz von Assisi. Stuttgart 1990.
• Edgar Hertlein: The Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi: shape, meaning, origin. ( Pocket Library of Studies in Art ) Casa Editrice Leo S. Olschki, Florence 1964.
• Beda Kleinschmidt : The Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi. Berlin 1915.
• Frank Martin: The apse glazing of the upper church of S. Francesco in Assisi. Their origin and position within the upper church furnishings. Manuscripts for art history in the Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft 37. Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 1993. ISBN 978-3-88462-936-9
• Gerhard Ruf: Francis and Bonaventure. Assisi 1974.
• Gerhard Ruf: The grave of St. Francis. The frescoes of the lower church of Assisi. Freiburg 1981.
• Wolfgang Schenkluhn : The double church of San Francesco in Assisi. Status and perspectives of German-language research. In: Dieter R. Bauer et al. (Ed.): Franziskus von Assisi. The image of the saint from a new perspective. Böhlau Verlag, Cologne 2005, pp. 271–282. (The article reflects the state of research from 1998.)

Web links

Commons : Basilica di San Francesco (Assisi)  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Commons : Giotto di Bondone  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Description of the basilica with pictures
• Online exhibition of the Art History Institute in Florence

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The title basilica is an ecclesiastical denomination for San Francesco and not to be confused with the architectural type of basilica . San Francesco is structurally a cross-shaped hall church with lower and upper church.
2. ↑ Most recently Achim Todenhöfer: Apostolic ideal in a social context. On the genesis of the architecture of the beggar order in the 13th century. In: Marburger Jahrbuch für Kunstwissenschaft , 34 (2007), pp. 43–75, here p. 47.
3. ↑ The burial place does not mean the crypt of the 19th century, but a simple medieval predecessor.
4. ↑ Achim Todenhöfer: Churches of the mendicant orders. The architecture of the Dominicans and Franciscans in Saxony-Anhalt. Berlin 2010, pp. 229-235.
5. ^ Beda Kleinschmidt: The Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi. Berlin 1915. Quoted from FUSA, No. 14/15: The apparently uniform planning seems to speak for it. The construction of the upper church began - according to other authors - perhaps after 1239 or after 1244. The Ste-Chapelle in Paris was possibly a model for such a picturesque church and also for the construction of a double church.
6. ↑ Engelbert Grau: St. Francis of Assisi and the foundation of his order. In: Atanassiu, p. 94: the flying buttresses were built in the second half of the 13th century. The church itself was initially intended as a simple hall with an open roof.
7. ^ Klaus Zimmermanns: Umbria. Cologne 1987, p. 137
8. ↑ Harald runt: Praecedentia - consequentia - consequentia. Literature, painting, architecture, music from the Franciscan spirit. In: FUSA, 14/15. 1984, p. 71: “The bracketing of the two components above the grave of the saint is indisputable due to the image program of the frescoes in the transept of the lower church, because the images began in the century when the architecture was built, i.e. in the 13th century take into account the course of the stairs. No fresco had to be chipped off in order to be able to subsequently lead stairs along the wall upwards. "
9. ↑ Pevsner, p. 221: “Since many mendicant monks were not ordained priests, there was little incentive to create a chapel wreath [which otherwise housed the many altars at which the priests had to read their masses every day]. All the more urgent was the need for very spacious ships that could provide enough space for the huge crowds who gathered for the popular sermons of the friars. "
10. ↑ In the statutes of Narbonne 1260 it is expressly formulated a short time later: “The churches are under no circumstances to be vaulted, except in the main choir chapel. The churches should never have a campanile in the form of a tower, nor should any figurative or painted glass panes except in the main window behind the main altar of the choir ”- where only images of the crucifix and the Blessed Virgin and Saints John, Francis and Antonius are permitted. (quoted from Zimmermanns, p. 153)
11. ↑ "Immediately after the death of St. Francis, the opposition broke out between the principles of his teaching and way of life and the realities of the administration of the order." (Braunfels, p. 181)
12. ↑ Hans Belting : The Upper Church of San Francesco in Assisi , Berlin 1977, pp. 17-29. Belting even calls the building the "Pope's house church".
13. ↑ The Italian restorer Bruno Zanardi has recently expressed his doubts about Giotto's authorship. Der Spiegel, 33/1997, p. 153. He considers the Roman painter Pietro Cavallini (around 1250–1330) to be the creator of the Francesco frescoes.
14. ^ Georg Kauffmann: Reclam's Art Guide Italy, Vol. 4. Emilia. Romagna. Brands Umbria Stuttgart 1971, pp. 35–85, here p. 70.
15. ↑ “And by mastering the image it is finally also possible for the church to keep under control the gross forms of the fear of God that attached themselves to the secondary characters of the holy drama. The figurative program of Assisi aimed to provide an image of St. Francis that was completely integrated into the orderly building of the papal church. ”(Duby, p. 414.)
16. ↑ The seven comes about as the addition of three and four, three as a symbol for the spirit, for the trinity of God, and four as a symbol for the flesh, for the earthly side. "For medieval people, Christ was the incarnate spirit and could therefore be symbolized by seven." (Kümmerling, p. 73).
17. ↑ Althoff, p. 284.
18. ↑ He offered all those who wanted to imitate St. Francis of Assisi, who wanted to immerse themselves in the depths of this personality, models for their attitudes, models for a theatrical repetition. (Duby, p. 407.)
19. ↑ Engelbert Grau: St. Francis of Assisi and the foundation of his order. In: Gabriele Atanassiu among others: Franz von Assisi. Stuttgart 1990, p. 196
20. ↑ Information about the organ (Italian)
21. ↑ Grau, pp. 152, 174.
22. ↑ Giorgio BONSANTI: lecture on the German UNESCO World Heritage Day in 2010, the earthquake in Assisi: destruction and reconstruction. (No longer available online.) Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment, June 5, 2010, archived from the original on June 23, 2016 ; accessed on November 6, 2016 .  pdf

Coordinates: 43 ° 4 ′ 29 ″  N , 12 ° 36 ′ 19.6 ″  E